Newsletter of East Gippsland WildlifeShelter Groups Inc..

Issue - 39 Summer - 2012

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EGWSG Inc., Website:http://www.egwildlife.com.au/

The Wildlife Complete Mailing Listhttp://groups.google.com/group/wildlife­complete

The Website for the Above Mailing Listhttps://sites.google.com/site/egwsgincinformation/

EGWSG Inc., Mailing Listegwsg­owner@egwildlife.com.au

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Presidents Report:

4TH QUARTER 2012

First, the good news for the quarter. You mayrecall that Jackie French visited Bairnsdalesome time ago to attend her book launch and toaddress various functions about her gardeningand wildlife interests. As a direct result of thatvisit, the Bairnsdale Street Harvestorganisation, through Christine Watts, donated$1000.00 to the EGWSG Inc. How good isthat!!

The not so good, but not disastrous, news isthat we were not successful this year in our bidfor a grant from the Federal Government. Iwas not surprised, as we were fortunate lastyear. I tend to think of grants as a bit of a

lottery and apply more in hope thanexpectation!

Is it just me, or does everyone find the yearsspeeding up? It seems no time at all sinceTess’s baby was pouchbound; now Tess hasdisappeared into the mulga and the baby iswithin a few months of release herself – ormaybe himself, we have never been up closeand personal enough to discover his/hergender. Anyway, big, strong and healthy itcertainly is.

Our next meeting at Nowa Nowa is on the16th December. Please try to be there if youcan, we’d love to see you!!!

Best wishes,

Ian.

2

AGM and other Meetings

The AGM was much as AGM's tend to be.Everyone will now know that Bev Tylerand Lyn Button are committee members,that Anh has been reinstated as Treasurer,Marie-Louise is now the Vice Presidentand Ian has been returned as President,Charlie Schroeder is Secretary. There wereno issues pertaining to changes to the Rulesof Incorporation. So all went smoothly.

You will all have received your copy of theminutes of the meeting after the AGM.

During the whole of the year, betweenmeetings is a good opportunity to thinkabout what you would like brought up anddiscussed. Have it placed on the agendaand have members and committee lookingat it.

Committee meetings are open to allmembers as well. These meetings don'tonly deal with issues that concerncommittee decisions and the committee is

always pleased to see members attend thesemeetings as well.

This is your wildlife group and thecommittee will keep things ticking over andattempt to improve all aspects for themembers. But even though the committeemembers are wildlife carers, mostly it'sfeedback that will give the committee someidea about what you need and want.

There's always the other thing as well. Ifyou don't bring up the issues that concernyou and have them placed on the agenda,you can't complain.

Don't be mislead. That might sound like itmakes the committees job easier. But it'snot the case, because if members speak upand attend, meeting have more depth andgreater value.

So see you at the next one.

President:Ian Laurie 51430885

ian_laurie@bigpond.com

Vice President:Marie-Louise Ory 0351594460

Secretary:Charlie Schroeder 0351594460

ariestao@skymesh.com.au

Treasurer:Anh Laurie 51430885

Committee MembersBev Tyler (02)64580325

tylerb2@bigpond.com

Lyn Button (02)64581471bushbubs@bigpond.com

In The PuggleThis Issue?

Presidents Report - Page 2AGM's and Other Meetings - Page 2Editors Note - Page 3Letters to the Editor - Page 4Links of Possible Interest - Page 6Seeking Information - Page 7Just Natures Way by Ian - Page 8Wombats: The Name and Other Things - Page 8Susan Free and Fancy - Page 9Adults Colouring Competition Result - Page 10Don't Be Caught out - Biolac - Page 10Dare We Wonder - Page 10

Editors Note:Thank you to Rena for being the first tosubmit a letter to the editor. It's great to havedialogue about these things. We all see andexperience things differently and havedifferent views and reasons for those viewscreating different perceptions.

It's difficult for us to put wildlife before jobs,personal comfort and factors purely human.We've been taught that wildlife, insects andforest and most things with which earlyhumans lived side by side are not to be allowedto interfere with our lives, to be too close.Even though what was theirs we have stolenfrom them.

So we clear the stability evolution hasfashioned and rebuild it the way we want.Then feel cheated when we are presented withtoo much rain, landslips, subsiding roadways

and houses, drought and fire and all manner

of iniquities that are delivered to any speciesthat thinks itself to be gods. The problem isthat we sow and then we reap what we havesown, and then we weep, but it's too late.There are many opportunities to change just alittle, adapt a bit more and cleverer. However,we ignore all the things that will secure afuture for our grandchildren.

It's better not to be in such a rush, to thinkmuch more. To realise that the natural worldthough indifferent is not our enemy, butrather the base from which we can succeed ifwe embrace the fact that we are not thecleverest species on the planet. That we haveeverything still to learn, because if we changeone thing - it changes every other thing tosome degree and we have to relearn it allagain. As is being shown to us every day welive.

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Marie­Louise and Charlie

4

Letters to the Editor

From: Rena Gaborov

Hi Marie -Louise,

I have written this to you because I didn't know who to

send it to. It's just a response to the opinion on road kills

for the next puggle news. I'm not sure who wrote the

opinion as there was no name. I think it is good to have

names.

I have written my response  below.

I would just like to respond to the opinion on ‘Road

Kills’ from the Spring 2012 issue of  ‘the Puggle News’. I

think you have completely missed the point of why

people remove animal carcasses off roads. I pull animals

off road side verges but the thought of cleaning up so not

to offend drivers and passengers in passing cars has

never crossed my mind. The reason why I move these

unfortunate dead animals I thought was obvious but

obviously not. The reason why I move and others people

I know that move these animals is so native scavengers

such as goannas, Wedge-tailed Eagles, brush-tailed

possums (yes they eat road kills) don’t get cleaned up as

well. So next time your leaving an animal on road verge

think about how living animals may be affected by this,

will those animals run off to the side or across the road.

Wedge-tail Eagles need room to take off where will they

do this? Can you even predict these decisions for these

living animals? I do understand and agree with your

point of leaving dead animals as reminders to drivers

but I think living animals that may be affected by this

action need to be considered. From Rena Gaborov

Also I don't have the link but there was a good article in

the Age yesterday on Elephant poaching it may be

worth reprinting this for the Puggle News.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/slaug

hter­on­a­huge­scale­do­you­want­your­children­to­grow­

up­in­a­world­without­elephants­20120904­25c9p.html

Poaching is the 2nd biggest illegal trade in the world (>

11 billion $/ year) yet the first being illegal drugs yet the

media rarely reports on it. Also they quote elephant

ivory as $2000 a KG it is also worth noting rhino tusks

go for $45 000 a kg (STOPRHINOPOACHINGNOW

website has some good stats for rhinos).

http://www.stoprhinopoaching.com/

Editors note: Rena didn't suppy any web site URL's,

but these were found.

My Reply:Hello Rena,

Thanks for that, your response is much appreciated, as always. I was the one that wrote the opinion on theroad kills.

We will place your response in the next Puggle News and put your name to it.

I have no issue with what you say about moving road kills well off the road. I think this is the DSE line alsoand therefore I have heard it said previously. However, in our experience we have not seen otheranimals/birds killed when feeding on these traffic victims.

One of the reasons that I think this is, is because an animal who has made a kill, or feeds on something thathas been killed, is a much more wary beast than a grazing animal. Yes we have seen eagles, crows and hawksfeeding on road kills, kangaroos, wallabies etc., but they are very wary while so doing and get away quickly.Though I have no doubt others have different experiences.

These carrion eaters are also more safe, because by being in the air they are, * more visible and, * in thedrivers "face" so to speak. Maiking the driver feel more vulnerable, less well protected. The driver thenwishes to avoid collision and brakes harder. Rather than, like the ground dwelling animals being trodden

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underfoot, which is still the problem for the goanna.

Anything that these road kill feeders have killed themselves they may be more protective of. But anythingthey find, they seem to assume belongs to something else and they are very watchful in case the owner of thekill comes back to claim it. Again as with all these things, you may have other experiences, but we havenever had them.

Interestingly and as an aside, we have never seen a wombat carcase being eaten by anything. Wombatcarcases that have not been "moved" by road patrols, lie about for weeks, even months. Certainly along theSwifts Creek to Bairnsdale Great Alpine Road and that road to Mt Hotham which we patrol weekly,without being touched by any animal. They do eventually mummify.

However, saying that, we have seen the pouches of female wombats ripped open, we assume to get at a babycontained within, and also assume it was a fox who did this. But the mothers carcase remains untouched. Wehave wondered about this often and have thought that wombats might be unpalatable for most animals thatmight otherwise eat them if they kill them? Because if they kill them we assume they want to or need to eatthem. We have no idea as yet as to why the carcases are ignored if dead. Again your mileage may vary.

I include goanna's when saying we have never seen one near a road kill in our area. We have seen goanna's,and stopped traffic to move them off the road, but never near a road kill. We have even moved a goanna offthe road that would only run back on, and couldn't find the cause for this behaviour. We finally managed toget it to travel down the hill towards the river. It's eyes looked all right and it had no injury and it movedwell otherwise.

We have only travelled the East Gippsland road for the last 35 years, and that's not very long in the schemeof things of course.

I'm pleased that you put your point across and we'll definitely include it in the next Puggle News so othersmay consider your input. Thank you.

We also thank you for your advice regarding including names in the opinion. We will do that from now on,unless requested not to do so by the author.

Regarding the rhinocerous and elephant poaching, we are happy to put links to stories like that up in thePuggle News, but we don't reprint the articles. I will seek out the links you mention.

There are several reasons for links only: One being that one article could be several pages long and absorbmost of the Puggle News, which we try to keep within a, at first 10 pages, then 12 pages and now 14 pagelength. Because Ian and Anh, who never complain, do and pay for the printing of same to go to people whodo not have computers. Also, as you know, only the first couple of paragraphs in any article tell most of thestory.

Another reason we print links and not the story is, because they are there for all to see and the newspapersor whatever, have placed the story on the net, at their cost. They get paid for by advertising dollars that arealso on the page. So if we want these suppliers to continue making this content available, giving us thestories, even if biased, they must receive some payment and their visitors to the site are important for thatpurpose. Not all of us work on that principle, but much of the world does.

I realise the links are often taken down before the Puggle News comes out in three months time, so maybeit's best to put up these links on the EGWSG Inc., mailing list. It might also be a good idea to discuss anyissues or ideas on that list as well. I will send you an invitation to join and you may do so or decline as youwish.

Again, thank you very kindly for your input, it's much appreciated.

6

Addendum to my reply to Rena on Page 5:

Another reason why animals should not be removed from the side of the road, even after they are checked has come tolight with regards to trying to get wombat/wildlife warning signs placed on roads.

Because the powers that be, the Ministers and Premier by association tell me in writing, that they "consult" with theDSE about road kills. Yet I have it from every source contacted by email and phone that the DSE do nothing of thesort, have neither time nor resources to do so.

Road kills out of sight out of mind allow the Minister for transport and roads to ignore the deaths of our wildlife andbaulk at placing more wombat/wildlife warning signs on strategic sections of the roads in this state.

So this is an addendum to the reply I sent to Rena.

Links of Possible Interest:

Don't look at this if you don't want to weep, or if you don't want to lose all faith in human beings.http://www.news.com.au/national/graphic­video­shows­savage­attack­on­baby­

kangaroo/story­fndo4cq1­1226513272923

Something that we know even though most people still think that there is no danger of thishappening:

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/connect­asia/australian­scientists­say­plant­animal­species­extinction­inevitable/1019908

Adapting to the problems that are being faced each day. Birds using passwords:http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22480­zoologger­the­bird­with­a­passwordprotected­

nest.html

Albino echidna:http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012­10­18/rare­albino­echidna­returned­to­the­wild/4321372

Suggestions that the DSE and DPi are not complying to or with the rules:http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports_and_publications/latest_reports/2012­13/20121024­

compliance­dpi­dse.aspx

Honey has for many years been known to have anti bacterial properties, and was utilised duringthe second world war as well as other conflicts. Manuka honey has been used by wildlife carers tohelp stop infection get into open wounds of injured wildlife. This is about Manuka honey:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/10/26/3607086.htm

Wildlife corridors are being recognised as something that's required:http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/federal­wildlife­corridors­plan­heading­

in­the­right­direction­20121104­28rz9.html

The successful breeding of echidnas:http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012­11­15/echidna­breeding­program­has­four­new­

puggles/4375078

7

Seeking Information.

Looking at the kangaroo and Wallaby pellets thatBarastoc manufacture we requested someinformation about them. Here is the reply fromBarastoc:

Thank you for writing to us regarding thequestions you have about Barastoc Kangaroo &Wallaby Pellets.

Ridley Agriproducts manufacture all the Barastocproducts and as a manufacturing requirementtherefore are required to have a label and useby/manufacturing date on all products. WithPelleted feeds its recommended that you don't feedthem any longer than 12 months from date ofmanufacture. Additive companies are well aware ofthe processing and storage environment s that suchproducts will be exposed to and therefore designtheir premixes and additives to withstand thepelleting process and heat treatment involved.Additive companies also understand that allvitamins and mineral deteriorate at different rates,therefore any in which they expect to deterioratewithin a short time they will supply the productslightly over spec to allow for the naturaldeterioration. It is therefore very hard todetermine the deterioration rate of any particularvitamin within the feed as this is a very gradualprocess in which numerous factors can play part iestorage and handling.

I'm unsure why the feeding directions part of thelabel has been left blank, but this product has beendesigned to be fed at ad lib with access to plentifulroughage at all times. As kangaroo and wallabies

are grazing animals we do expect that they haveaccess to grass, chaff or hay source at all time witha supply of clean fresh water. There is definitely nodanger in feeding this product to both wallabiesand Kangaroo with free access as long as roughageis available. We don't differentiate this product tobe fed to specific species of wallabies, more as ageneral feed which supplements their natural diet.

We do recommend that people only feed productsto animals that they have been recommended to onthe bag, but feeding this product to rescue wombatsduring their short stay before being released wouldbe fine. The main difference between the diet of awombat vs a Kangaroo is their proteinrequirement, wombats have a low proteinrequirement due to their low metabolic rate.Barastoc kangaroo and Wallaby Pellets is 16%protein, 10% fibre (minimum) and 2.5% fattherefore feeding this diet for a short period withplentiful supply of roughage won't cause any issues.

The main ingredients within Barastoc Kangaroo &Wallaby pellets would be a combination of thefollowing:

Cereals such as wheat and Barley

Vegetable protein sources as Soybean meal, canolameal

Legumes such as Lupins, Faba beans, peas

Fibre sources such as Lucerne meal, wheat basedMilling byproducts

Molasses

Salt

Vitamin and mineral premix

Added Vitamin E

Seeking Information:

We requested information from Christine of Biolac regarding how best to store Biolac milkformulas. Christine wrote:

Regarding the expiry date on the 1kg bags; its only bagged as orders come in! My recommendationregarding storing is: in air tight containers or in fridge or half in freezer! The M100GOS is alwaysin 500gr containers and M100 is sometimes in 500gr containers if carers only have 1 animal. As youknow most carers have more than 1 animal to look after or they share with a friend.

When in use and no contamination occurs Biolac milk formula will last in fridge for 2 months.However, freezing it in powder form it will be good for 12 month that's for all 3 stages.

8

Just Nature's WayFrom Ian Laurie

It has to be said that our tractor is quite old intractor years, but what it has lost inhorsepower over the years has been made upfor in character. Amongst other features, theexhaust has a graceful curve at the top. Somesay this is to prevent water running down intothe engine should it be left out in the rain. Inreality, it is to ensure the driver gets fullbenefit of the aromatic burnt diesel.

Came time to slash last week, and of coursethe battery was dead. Tow start. The ute, withthe farm hand at the wheel, took off at a steadypace down towards the paddock with thetractor and other farm hand obediently

following at the end of the chain. Nice steadyrolling pace, into gear and ease out the clutch.Tractor coughed, started, and the chunk of sootit spat at my chest fell into my lap. Nope, notsoot. A confused and bewildered little bat wasgiving me its evil eye. Lifeless or just stunned?Mouth to mouth was my first thought, but no,I’ve read Bram Stoker! I dismounted with thetiny tot in hand and hid it in a dark place in theshed. Nature will take its course, I thought.

Some hours later I went to see how the littlechap was doing. Took quite a while to trackhim down to a secure place he’d found in theshed rafters. He was gone when I looked forhim the next day, so hopefully it is a “happyever after” story. The tractor now has an emptyjam tin adorning the exhaust.

Wombats: The Name and Other Things.

The Wombat’s name comes from the Eora Aboriginal people who were the natives of Sydney,Australia.

Or this from wikipedia:

The name wombat comes from the now nearly extinct Darug language spoken by the AboriginalDarug people who originally inhabited the Sydney area. It was first recorded in January 1798when John Price and James Wilson, a white man who had adopted Aboriginal ways, visited thearea of what is now Bargo, New South Wales.

Price wrote: "We saw several sorts of dung of different animals, one of which Wilson called aWhom-batt, which is an animal about 20 inches high, with short legs and a thick body with a largehead, round ears, and very small eyes; is very fat, and has much the appearance of a badger."Wombats were often called badgers by early settlers because of their size and habit. Because of this,localities such as Badger Creek, Victoria and Badger Corner, Tasmania were named after thewombat. The spelling went through many variants over the years including "wambat", "whombat","womat", "wombach" and "womback", possibly reflecting dialectal differences in the Daruglanguage.

Wombat day:

Since 2005 there has been an unofficial holidaycalled Wombat Day observed on 22 October, at thebeginning of the traditional aboriginal springplanting season.

This has been noted in our calendar for the future.

It would be interesting to hear from people how

we might make the most of this day that's not verywell known.

How can we give it a higher profile, make thepublic more aware of not only wombats but allwildlife. Especially as we see wildlife getting such apasting on our roads and no consideration at allwhen government gives permission for variousactivities like logging and organised quad biketourist invasion into national parks.

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Susan Free and Fancy.

You will all remember Susan rescued from some serious trouble by Ian and Anh

Now she's free and now she is wary and humans are no longer her friends, hardly to betolerated. A species no longer to be trusted, though she still identifies a voice, but

friendship is no longer on the table.

The missing fur on her back has nothing to do with the mange that she had once. It is todo with her going out into that wilder world where there are males interested in her

charms. She has now healed and there are no more new marks on her skin and she is beingleft alone.

Her burrow is deep, her privacyassured and she has at least one

more burrow in some other place in theforest. Because days pass and we see hernot at all. Though her magic stays inIan and Anh's and our hearts. She is nomore special than any other wombat inthe machinations of the universe and toan indifferent nature,

She has come a long way from themangy wombat that Ian and Anh

took into care, treated and brought backfrom the brink, so that she had a chanceof survival at least, if she wassufficiently strong enough. She provedherself to be so.

But for us she is asspecial as all the others

that pass through our handsand release back into theforest where they come from,where they belong. The worldmaybe wide, but it's wide forthe children of men, it's a bitmore limited for those whohave no weapons other thancaution.

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Adults Colouring Competition

The adults colouring competition was wellsupported. But there was only ever going to beone winner and, the two local artists whojudged the entries were impressed with thedifferent techniques that were used andcommented on some in particular. Afterdeliberation and consultation between themwhich took a little time, one of the entries waschosen to receive the single prize. Colour use,matching, toning and imagination won the day.

Alison Smith took out the prize of a $20.oogift voucher from Collins Book store inBairnsdale. Who, didn't donate the prize, buthave a wide range of books, and since we haveused them as the prize store for thesecompetitions, when we hold another colouringcompetition will be asked to contribute a prize.

So thank you all those who entered. Its goodto see enthusiastic participation from ourgroup members and people outside the groupas well.

Don't Be Caught OutBiolac will be closing for the Christmas period from Friday 14 December 2012, until Monday 21 January

2013.So ensure that you have sufficient milk formula to get you through this period, or order before that time.

Inquiring about keeping qualities and use of Biolac. Received this from Christin:[quote]When in use and no contamination occurs Biolac milk formula will last in the fridge for 2 months. However,

freezing it in powder form it will be good for 12 months, that's for all 3 stages.[end quote]

Dare We Wonder?

Dare we wonder about what people saw and howaccurate were their perceptions, or is it much liketoday, where many people whose observations areaccurate but their interpretations are suspect andthe other way around as well.

But then on King Island the wombats may havewhite fur, or maybe there was a differentinterpretation of white. Silver coloured wombatscould be called white by some observers, as to size?You would have to know the age of a wombat toreally take size into consideration. In ourexperience of size we have seen some that have ahand only slightly smaller than an adult malehuman. Weight? Considerable even when draggedoff the road, and we have never had scales toweight them. Though some of these I doubt I couldpick up other than in a fireman's lift.

Anyway here are some snippets of what the papersof the time said about wombats:

Saturday 2 December 1826http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/879052

8?searchTerm=wombat&searchLimits=sortby=dateAsc

[quote]King's Island at the western extremity of Bass's

Strait, is thickly covered with trees andunderwood, and abounds with every sort of animal

and natural production on which these peopleusually subsist. Scattered over the extent of thisbrushwood, there are open spots of meadow, ofsome hundred acres each, on which at dawn andnight fall, kangaroos and innumerable quadrupedsissue forth to feed. The wombat, a species differentfrom that in this Island, especially abounds; it issmaller in size, with a white fur and is described assurpassing in taste and flavour, the finest venison[Editor: was veni- in the original paper] of Europe[end quote]

Saturday 15 January 1831http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/420576

5?searchTerm=wombat&searchLimits=sortby=dateAsc#pstart642714

[quote]From the nature of the country, the Forest or

Boomah kangaroo, which delights in rich and openpastures, is unknown; but the smaller, or brushspecies (macropus elegans), and the Wallaby arecommon. That delicious animal, the wombat,(commonly known at that place by the name ofbadger, hence the little island of that name on themap was so called, from the circumstances ofnumbers of that animal being at first found uponit) and native hystrix (ornithoryncus), orporcupine, having, like the amphibious species, thebill of a bird, but armed with the quills of a hedge-hog, and which, like the wombat, affords anexcellent dish when roasted, are not unfrequent inthe woods.[end quote]

11

Something About the Recent Wildlife Grants.From the editor.

It's well known the wildlife carers, probably of this state and certainly of East Gippslandare, as a general rule, people that don't carry much in the way of financial back fat. Sowhen there are quantities of animals coming into care increases so does cost and worryabout enclosures..

The wildlife carers of East Gippsland, even those who are unable to care for animals at themoment, help one another where they can. Not only with equipment they own, but also milkformula, even monetary donations, defraying the cost and alleviating some of the pressures onthose taking on the extra load.

So the Victorian government grants to wildlife carers to update, upgrade and/or repair theirenclosures and pay a little for the milk formula they use is not only a good option, it's imperative,even if the Victorian state government only pays lip service to caring about wildlife conservation.

Wildlife carers will still burn out. In some cases will allow other carers to use their enclosures andother facilities while they take a much needed break. Getting their lives back in order, get somehelp with the depression, or, no longer being able to stand the pain, finally going into hospital tohave the operations they need.

To the rescue comes the government knight in shining armour mounted on a white charger wavinggrant applications, that when read shows the knight looking tattered and the white chargertarnished and stumbling.

The reasons are obvious:

• the DSE is supposed to know how many carers and wildlife shelters there are in the state, sowhy is the money presented each year always over subscribed

• why are there some shelters who have never been allocated any grant money

• why is one of the questions - the animals in care last year, that's in the past, what does that haveto do with present and future numbers coming into care

• why is grant money preference, this year at least, been given to carers or shelters who might onlylook after one endangered animal, aren't all our wildlife endangered

• why isn't the reason for failure to attract a grant given in writing to the carer/shelter operatorwho applies, what unfairness is being hidden?

Bringing these things pint to the attention of the people who apparently patch together theapplication forms meets with the usual, “we will look into it”. But what does that mean?

Is the Victorian government fair dinkum about saving the animals that are the heritage of allVictorians, since the land has been stolen from them? One wonders. But that's not good enough ofcourse. We should all wonder and we should all ask questions.

MerryChristmas

To All

Postage Paid

Bairnsdale 3875

Victoria

If

Undelivered

Please Return to

PO Box 305

Bairnsdale 3875

Victoria

Sustainabilityand Evironment

A ReminderNext Meeting

Sunday 16th December 2012

11:00 am

Nowa Nowa Hall

Lunch Will Be Supplied

Hope Everyone Can Attend.

A0043359Y